Dental implants: solutions for patients with low bone density
Dental implants were once considered unsuitable for patients with low bone density, but things have changed. At Sheen Dental in Richmond we can treat even the most complex cases where significant bone loss has occurred, requiring additional procedures to rebuild bone density before implants are placed.
If you are interested in dental implants but have been told you are an unsuitable candidate by your own dentist, you can be asked to be referred to our Richmond clinic, or can get in touch with use yourself.
Causes of bone loss
Bone loss is commonly seen in patients with few or none of their natural teeth left, including those who wear traditional dentures. It happens when the root portions of the teeth are missing for some time; standard dentures or bridges only replace the crown portions, and when the roots are missing the jaw bone starts to resorb – shrink back.
This is one of the reason traditional false teeth often become loose, necessitating regular trips to the dentist to have your dentures adjusted, and causing problems with eating, speaking, and self-confidence. Dental implants are an excellent way to prevent these problems, holding your teeth firmly in place. If you are already lacking in bone density, we offer a number of bone regeneration options at our Richmond clinic.
Treatment of bone loss
One option is to have a bone graft. This involves using either artificial bone chips or autogenous bone (from another site in your own body) to build up jaw bone density to a suitable level to support dental implants. This will mesh into the jaw bone and blood vessels during a healing period, and will be as strong as natural bone.
For the upper jaw, your dentist may use a sinus lift, which sees bone graft material packed into the sinus cavity.
The third option at our Richmond practice is bone expansion. This procedure uses a series of special instruments to expand the area in the jaw where dental implants are to be placed. Depending on your individual requirements, bone expansion may be used in conjunction with bone graft procedures.